Blurb: Captured as a boy when Herra invaded his homeland, Micah realizes that finding his way to freedom in Alekia with his savior and lover Eli was the easier task. They now hide among the Alekites, but battle with Herra looms.

With Eli’s love, Micah must come to terms with his status as a noble and his mother’s birthright of witch’s blood inside him. The two also face the father Micah cannot forgive and Eli’s family, who very much want Eli back as firstborn heir rather than the lowly slave who rescued the king’s favorite son.

When court intrigues stir and Herran armies march to war, Micah and Eli must make their stand…or fall as plunder.

Review: This book is part of a series and must be read in order. Micah is finding it hard to acclimatize to his freedom. The only person that he can truly feel safe with is his slave/master Eli. Micah is expected to be the savior of Alekia, but he doesn’t know how and as he learns the truth of Eli’s past, he fights to do the right thing.

This book takes up where Spoils of War finished. It continues with Micah still trying to come to terms with being free, never mind a Prince and heavily relying on Eli. Micah and Eli are ensconced in a villa that to Micah is like a gilded cage, the new things he is supposed to learn, the punishments he receives from his tutor and then discovering what his father really wants him for. Micah still struggles with his own instinctive behavior and now also the magic that he learns resides inside him.

This is an excellent continuation of Spoils of War. One that doesn’t pretend that all Micah has suffered in the past can be easily overcome. one that shows you the continued struggle that Micah is going through, not just how he views himself as a slave, but also how hard he finds it to believe that he deserves Eli’s love. Eli acts a bit out of character to try to force Micah to become the man Eli knows he can and Micah finds it very hard to believe his father ever loved him. The storyline is brilliant. Even with Micah free from his captors he still feels like a prisoner and Eli trying to find ways to make Micah realize he is still the person he was before he was taken.

Micah is a strong character; in his suffering he is so much stronger than he thinks. Eli might be the rock that he desires, but Micah can find the strength to stand by himself when he truly needs to. The mental suffering he endures as his memories return, memories he banished when he was first captured is quite harrowing, and the way that he tries to protect his love, Eli, is touching. Eli is the perfect foil for Micah, the strong slave/master who gave up everything for the man he loves and adores, who will always be there for the man he will be. There are many erotic sex scenes, many of them with Micah reaffirming to himself that he is really Eli’s and that Eli was his.

I will recommend this to those who like traumatic recoveries, prisoner of war survivors, true love in hard situations, betrayal, forgiveness, violence and finally, an ending that will hopefully lead to a happy ever after.